LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

If you know "Windmills Of Your Mind" (of course you do), you already know Noel Harrison. He performed the now-famous Bergman/Bergman/LeGrand composition for the classic 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair. The sweeping ballad won an Oscar® for Best Original Song and became a huge hit, remaining in heavy rotation to this day. Son of actor Rex Harrison, Noel started playing professionally at age 20, taking gigs at restaurants, cabarets and private parties. He spent the early '60s performing at bars and nightclubs all over Europe. He soon had a surprise hit for London with "A Young Girl," and a costarring role on the T.V. series The Girl From U.N.C.L.E. A new contract followed with Reprise, for whom Harrison cut three more songwriter-oriented albums in the late '60s. Folky soft rock on the surface, this material often leans into psych with its daring orchestrations. The songs on this Rhino Handmade release are selected from those three Reprise albums: Collage (1967), Santa Monica Pier (1968), and The Great Electric Experiment Is Over (1969). Utilizing star producers and players from the peak-era L.A. session scene, Harrison recorded songs written by himself and others: Donovan, Leonard Cohen, Arlo Guthrie, Gordon Lightfoot, Tom Paxton, Joni Mitchell, and Judy Collins (some of Harrison's versions were released first). Included are the previously unreleased "Mountains And Marianne," "The Last Thing On My Mind," and "Don't We All Get Lonely Sometimes." With the original Thomas Crown soundtrack now out of print, "Windmills Of Your Mind" makes its only CD appearance here. This release also features liner notes written by Harrison himself. Life Is A Dream is available as an individually numbered limited edition of 2,500 copies.
TRACK LISTING SIGN OF THE QUEEN (2:40) SUZANNE (2:55) MUSEUM (2:05) MRS. WILLIAMS' ROSE (2:35) GO ASK YOUR MAN (2:05) WINDMILLS OF YOUR MIND (2:20) LIFE IS A DREAM (2:00) SANTA MONICA PIER (2:32) SO LONG, MARIANNE (3:03) IN YOUR CHILDHOOD (2:52) LEITCH ON THE BEACH (2:26) DRESS REHEARSAL RAG (3:37) I SHALL REMEMBER (2:35) HIGHWAY IN THE WIND (2:53) THE GREAT ELECTRIC EXPERIMENT IS OVER (3:00) MOUNTAINS AND MARIANNE (3:30) BLUE ISLAND (3:47) POOR COW (2:54) THE LAST THING ON MY MIND (2:32) NATHAN LA FRANEER (3:01) ANOTHER SONG TO YOU (2:44) DON'T WE ALL GET LONELY SOMETIMES (4:30) TIN WEDDING (2:58) ANOTHER VIRGIN SPRING (4:00) SPARROW (2:45) CALIFORNIA WEEKEND (2:10)